Long Lake vs Rice Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Rice Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Long Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Stearns County, Minnesota.
Long Lake and Rice Lake are both in Minnesota — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Long Lake (F) versus Rice Lake (D). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With grades this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Long Lake
Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility.
Rice Lake
Very murky, less than 2.6 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Long Lake | Rice Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2.5 ft | 2.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 324.5 µg/L | 49 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 35 ft | 41 ft |
| Surface Area | 487.12 acres | 1.5K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Rice Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Long Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 2.6 ft vs 2.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Rice Lake also leads with 1 species.